INSANE: Merkur | Vintage Vibes

How £100 vanishes in minutes: inside the ‘slot farms’ targeted in the budget

John Healey has hit adult gaming centres with 25% tax. Undercover footage shows how they lure customers

The Guardian - UK · 22h ago

Early BMW Super Tourer and Polley Toyota recreation among Touring Car Rewind highlights

The Brands Hatch event may no longer be centred around Super Tourers but there were still several notable cars on display and in action, while the Pre-'66 machines provided some of the best racing

Autosport · Aug 3

'Deranged Grinches' Wanted After Punching Nativity Donkeys, Defecating in Church During German Christmas Rampage

German police seek two vandals who attacked Nativity donkeys Max and Lily, defecated in a church, and ransacked the Erbach Castle Christmas market. Suspects remain at large after the 30 November rampage.

International Business Times UK · Dec 13, 2025

Slot machine firms target UK’s poorest areas and channel funds to billionaires

Exclusive: Politicians including Andy Burnham call for councils to be given powers to stop new sites opening

The Guardian - UK · May 18, 2025

Spin doctors: gambling firms adopt hard tactics to flood towns with 24-hour slot machines

Companies deploy highly-paid lawyers and appear to mislead councillors – but local authorities are fighting back

The Guardian - UK · May 4, 2025

UK slot machine operator fined over cancer patient’s activity

Gambling regulator fines Merkur Slots almost £100,000 for failings at one of its ‘adult gaming centres’

The Guardian - UK · Feb 13, 2025

Fears grow over rise of ‘under the radar’ all-night slot machine halls in UK

Campaigners raise concern over risk of problem gambling as more than 300 24-hour sites spring up

The Guardian - UK · Jul 21, 2024

Tory MP Philip Davies takes £500-an-hour job at slot machine company

Davies will provide ‘strategic advice’ to Merkur Gaming, part of group behind network of gambling venues on UK high streets

The Guardian - UK · May 8, 2024

Slot machine operator being investigated over cancer patient’s activity

Staff at Merkur’s Stockport branch reportedly looked away as customer lost £2,000 over two days of play

The Guardian - UK · Apr 8, 2024

Masters of spin – how slot machine operators are taking over UK high streets

With concern focused on online casinos, the firms who run ‘adult gaming centres’ have been expanding fast – and glad-handing dozens of MPs

The Guardian - UK · Mar 17, 2024